Lori Gets a Job at Hooter's
by cumquattoothpaste
Summary: On her eighteenth birthday, Lori gets a new phone and a new job.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Happy Birthday, Lori!" shouted the Loud family.

Lori took a deep breath and blew out the eighteen purple and blue candles that decorated the two-tiered cake. One by one, the Loud siblings took a slice from the beaming birthday girl and sat on the couch to enjoy their sister's celebratory dessert. Lori cut a slightly larger piece for herself and made her way to the living room, a smile widening from ear to ear.

"Uh, Lori dear?"

The birthday girl turned around to find her mother with a warm grin and a palm-sized box wrapped in sparkling blue wrapping paper.

Lori's eyes widened. "No way," she whispered.

Lori snatched the gift from her mother's hand and tore off the carefully wrapped paper. She held up the gift to her eyes and confirmed that what she held was indeed the latest model smartphone on the market, personalized with her favorite case. A meek squeal escaped from her mouth before she threw herself on her mother's neck and belted a hearty laugh.

"Oh my god, this is, like, literally what I always wanted, Mom! Thank you!"

Rita chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

Lori blasted towards the living room like an Olympic runner, eager to show her siblings the new smartphone, but was reeled back in by the fish hook-like grip of her mother.

"Now Lori, there is something I have to tell you about your new phone."

Lori sighed. "I knew this was too good to be true." Shoulders slumped, she lifted the phone back to her mother but was rejected by a raised hand.

"No honey, the phone is yours to keep. However, because your father and I had to sign not just you but the whole family for the unlimited plan to get such a good deal, our monthly rate skyrocketed. We're gonna need some help paying for the bill, and since you just turned eighteen, your father and I.."

"..want me to get a job?" Lori sighed as she stuffed the phone in her back pocket.

Rita put a soft hand on her daughter's should and kissed her cheek. "Just imagine all of the other things you can buy with your own money, Lori. Besides, it's about time you learned how to carry your own weight around. You're becoming a beautiful, young woman. We only want what's best for you."

"Everything okay in there?" shouted Lori's dad from the living room. "Lori's favorite movie is about to start!"

"Everything's good, Dad," Lori shouted back. She put a hand on her back pocket where her phone rested and looked up at her mother with a grin. "I understand mom," she said softly.

Rita took the fork from Lori's plate and fed her chuckling daughter a piece of cake. "So, did it come out as good as always?"

Lori wiped her nose and gave her mother a big hug. "Like always, mommy."

"No way, it's even got a thumbprint scanner!"

Bobby ogled his girlfriend's new smartphone as they walked past the bustling crowds at the mall, hand in hand. They stopped in front of the food court and took in the sight. Hundreds of shoppers, bags in hand, ordered from their food stop of choice while others sat at the plastic tables going over their findings.

Lori shot a glance at her favorite sandwich shop and tugged her boyfriend's shirt. "Bobby, let's try over there."

The young man of Lori's dreams looked up from her smartphone. "Yeah, okay," he answered, uninterested.

Lori rolled her eyes and dragged her lover across the dining area, bumping unsuspecting shoppers in the process. "Come on Boo Boo Bear, you're helping me find a new job, not finding every single feature on my new phone."

Bobby laughed as they arrived the front counter of the sandwich shop. "Sorry babe. I got carried away with this amazing piece of technology. Here you go." He handed Lori her phone and gave her a one sided smirk.

Lori giggled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I forgive you, Snuggle Bug. You know I can't resist that face!"

"Can I help you?" interrupted a disheveled looking employee.

Lori smiled. "Hello! I would like to speak with your manager about getting a job here, please."

"He ain't here," he said. His eyes went down from Lori's face down her shirt.

Lori covered her chest and furrowed her brow. "Well then, when will he get here?" she asked in a brisk tone.

The employee crossed his arms and sucked his teeth. "How should I know? He's never around when I need him! Why don't you come back later? He might be around by then!" He gave a hearty laugh that resulted in a fit of phlegmy coughs.

Lori stuck her tongue out and gagged. "Uh, no thanks. Weirdo." She grabbed Bobby by the sleeve and dragged him to the nearest empty table. She took her seat and rubbed her palms all over her face, groaning into them.

Bobby knelt beside her and pried one of her hands from her face. "Hey babe, no sweat, we'll find a place that'll hire you for sure!"

The blonde girl made a fist with her free hand and rested her cheek upon it. "I'm not so sure anymore, Bobby. So far, all the places we've looked are either not hiring, their managers are gone, or are filled with a bunch of creeps!"

Bobby looked across the food court and spotted the perverted employee that checked out his girlfriend. "Yeah, I noticed," he said, pursing his lips.

"What am I gonna do Bobby? Mom and Dad expect me to become responsible for myself, but how can I do that without a job?"

Bobby smiled and brushed off a few blonde hairs from his girlfriend's face with a gentle finger. "Don't worry, mi amor. You're such a good worker and a smart girl. Someone is bound to sweep you up in no time!"

Lori sighed. "Or who knows, maybe because almost every guy in this mall has been eyeing me like a prized pig I should just get a job at a place like…"

Before she could finish her thoughts, she spotted a Now Hiring sign from across the street outside of the mall. She bolted from her seat and pushed through the glass doors. She tore across the mostly empty parking lot until she came to a complete halt in front of the establishment she spotted.

A few seconds later, Bobby caught up to her, resting his hands on his knees and panting like a dog. He looked up after a moment and noticed the iconic orange lettering and logo.

"Hooter's?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hooter's," whispered Lori.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Bobby drove up to the Loud house as the sun was just setting into a sky of purple and orange. Lori gave her man a kiss on the cheek and hopped out the car wearing a new sling backpack. She opened the zipper and smiled at her brand new Hooter's uniform.

"Hey Lori!" greeted her only brother, Lincoln, from the front door.

Lori zipped the bag shut and flashed a nervous smile. "H-Hey twerp."

Nearly knocking Lincoln on his bottom were the twins, Lana and Lola. They rushed over to the eldest sister and each took a leg in a warm embrace. "So, didja get a job, huh?" they asked in unison.

Lori gently pushed the twins away from her and walked inside the front door. "Well…not exactly," she lied.

"Wait, whaddya mean 'not exactly'?" asked Lola. The rest of the Loud clan looked up from what they were doing and gave their undivided attention to their oldest sister.

Lori chuckled. "I mean, I've applied like literally everywhere, and no one hired me. So I-I guess I'll go back tomorrow and try again!" She dashed up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind her. She threw her sling backpack onto the bed and quickly hid her Hooter's uniform underneath some clothes in a drawer. As soon as she closed the drawer, Lucy popped in beside her, causing her to yelp.

"Did you try the funeral home?" she asked in a monotonic voice. "I hear they're hiring funeral directors. it's like a dream job for me, but I have to wait another eight years to be old enough to get a job."

Lori shook her head. "Why would I want to do something like that? Besides, I literally only went to the mall to look for work. Now get out of my room, you creep!"

Lori pushed the sighing goth out of her room and closed the door behind her. As soon as she turned to her bed, she heard a faint knock on the door. "Lucy! I said I'm not going to become a funeral director! Now leave me alone!"

"It's me, Leni," said a cheery voice behind the door.

Lori opened the door and flashed her younger sister a remorseful smirk. "Sorry, Leni."

"That's okay, Lori. You just need new glasses, that's all. Because I look nothing like Lucy at all," she said as she walked over to her bed to take a seat.

Lori raised a finger, but decided against letting her thoughts be known. She laid herself on her bed and looked up at the ceiling, a deep sigh escaping her rosy lips. She eyed the drawer that hid the uniform of her secret job, thoughts of how long she could keep it occulted from her family. Her train of thoughts became derailed by Leni reaching a hand towards the very drawer she had her eye on. Lori's heart beat profusely in her chest as Leni grabbed the drawer by the handle and pulled it open. Lori bolted from the bed as Leni reached inside.

"Leni!" Lori screamed.

A startled Leni pulled out a pair of sleep pants and turned to face her sister, who was on all fours, reaching out to grab her by the arm.

Lori quickly retracted her arm, stood up, and dusted herself off. "Y-you shouldn't wear those pants to sleep. They, uh, literally clash with your…bra?"

Leni tugged at the collar of her white T-Shirt and looked down. "You're right," she exclaimed. "Poly cotton blend pants do not mix well with lacy undergarments."

Lori sighed in relief. She took the pants from Leni's grasp and switched them out with one of her own. "Here, this pair totally goes with lacy undergarments."

Leni flashed her a big grin and left the room to take a shower.

Lori opened the drawer and pulled out her uniform and slapped the side of her head. "Of course, I put these clothes in Leni's side of the bureau," she scolded herself. She decided her sling backpack would be the safest place to leave them since no one really went through any of her bags. She tossed the bag into her closet, making sure it landed on her side.

Lori heard a faint knock at the door. "Leni, I don't have any other sleepwear to go with your lacy bra!" She thrust open the door and was surprised to find her mother on the other side, scratching the side of her head. "Oh…sorry mom. I thought you were Leni."

Rita smiled. "It's okay, sweetie. Lincoln told me that you couldn't land a job today. Is that right?"

Lori nodded.

Rita gave her eldest daughter a hug. "it's okay, sweetheart. You'll find a job eventually. If you can't find one before the end of the month, we won't charge you for your phone. Just try to find something soon, okay?"

Lori broke the hug and scratched her shoulder. "Y-yeah, of course, mom."

"Just do me one favor, will you?"

Lori looked up to find her mother with a stern look.

"I want you to stay away from questionable places of employment. You know what kinds of places I mean, right?"

Lori gulped. "Um, like Hooter's?"

Rita let out a big laugh before returning to the same serious look that sent shivers down Lori's spine. "Exactly. No daughter, or son for that matter, will be caught dead working in a place that requires women to dress like street prostitutes and walk around having perverted men eye them like some kind of prized pig. You were raised with dignity, and I expect nothing less, okay?"

Lori felt faint, but managed to nod convincingly enough. She felt her mother's warm lips gently peck the top of her head before she bid her good night. As soon as her mother was out of sight, she closed the door and slid down to the floor. She felt her eyes water as anxious thoughts ran through her mind.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she said to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Good luck!" shouted Rita and Lynn Sr. from the front porch, waving at the shrinking car that was taking their oldest daughter to what they assumed was on another job hunting trip. Earlier that day, Lori asked Bobby to give her a ride to work on her first day to ease the first day jitters. As soon as she finished typing the text, a prompt appeared on the screen asking her to confirm the new updates with a fingerprint scan. She let out a soft chuckle as she confirmed the process with a light tap.

"Update complete," said the phone with a slightly seductive feminine voice.

"Why thank you, Ms. Beepity Boop," she answered.

In the present, Lori hugged her legs close to her body as she witnessed the mall sign approaching outside the passenger side window. There were a lot more cars in the parking lot that evening as she assumed people had arrived directly from work to enjoy the beginning of their weekend off. They pulled into a space behind Hooter's, precisely ten minutes before her shift began at her request.

Bobby looked across at his girlfriend, who looked a few minutes away from melting in a complete and total breakdown. "Hey," he whispered.

The hand of her boyfriend on her shaking shoulder sent a confusing mix of shivers and warmth down to her core. "Y-yeah?"

"You look amazing in your uniform, babe," he said with a smile.

Lori slowly released her mostly bare legs and put her small hand on her chest.

"And you're gonna do great tonight. Because you're the best looking gal in the world."

At this, Lori couldn't keep her feelings bottled as she threw herself over her boyfriend and pummeled his face with kisses. "Oh, Boo Boo Bear! You literally have no idea how much I needed to hear that!" She unbuckled her seat belt and stepped into the bustling evening, shedding off the jacket she wore to conceal her true task from her family. The iconic white T shirt, size small, hugged her form revealing curves usually hidden by her normal wear.

She turned her head and gave her slobbery mess of a boyfriend a playful wink. "See you at ten, Bobby. If you're lucky, maybe I can…give you the late night special." She pulled back the leg of her short shorts and gave her thigh a big squeeze, sticking a finger in her mouth and sucking the tip.

As she approached the back door, she could hear Bobby's car peel out of the lot at the speed of sound. She chuckled to herself as she opened the back door to Hooter's. She took a deep breath. "Let's do this," she muttered.

The blast of cold air froze the new hire for a second, but she shook it off and walked inside, scanning the area for any sign of where she was supposed to go. She spotted the double doors that led out into the dining area and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of a handful of Hooter girls gathered together in a single booth. She made a beeline towards the door when she bumped into a cook carrying a large pot of buffalo sauce.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed. He managed to regain his footing after a brief slip, pot safely level within his grasp.

Lori put her hands up to her mouth. "Oh my god, I am literally so sorry!"

The cook flashed her a wink. "No problem, nena. The floors are pretty slippery back here, but not as slippery as the floors out there, if you know what I mean!"

Lori belted out a laugh as the joke finally hit her. Before she could respond with a quip of her own, the cook disappeared into the kitchen. Mentally filing the joke for later use, Lori pushed through the double doors and walked towards the booth, bringing her arms up in a tight self-embrace as the cold air reintroduced itself after the brief warmth that came from the blazing kitchen.

"Lori Loud?" called a deep female voice.

Lori looked up to find a short woman, about in her fifties according to her estimation, holding up a clipboard and staring right at her. "Um…present?"

The woman smiled and held out a hand. "Good to meet you. My name is Fran. Please take a seat here with our other new hires and we'll get started."

After shaking Fran's impressively tight grip, Lori took her seat next to one of the new Hooter girls. After a brief mental account, she discovered that she went to school with at least two of them. The others didn't look familiar, but their chattiness gave her a cheery vibe. Her thoughts were broken by a piece of paper slid in front of her.

"Alright girls," announced Fran. "I just handed out to you your schedule for the next two weeks. For those of you who still can't read, basically you'll have five days of classroom training, followed by five days of on the job training. This might be different than what you're used to, but our location prides in not only having the best looking Hooter girls, but the smartest."

Lori scanned her document as Fran continued her lecture. It appeared that her Saturdays and Sundays were now property of Hooters, Inc. A single sweat drop ran down her forehead as she thought about how she could convince her family that Sunday job hunting had to take priority over their one day of the week to spend any quality time together. However, those thoughts evaporated as she spotted a single name at the bottom of the page.

Carol Pingrey.

"What's that bitch's name doing on my paper," she mumbled to herself.

Out of nowhere, a perfectly manicured finger pointed directly underneath her rival's name, knocking the paper out of her grip and slamming onto the laminate table.

Trainer.

Lori looked up and gasped as her furrowed brow softened into a mixture of disbelief and horror.

"That's right, Lori," whispered a grinning Carol. "I'm the bitch who's gonna train you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"My, oh my," exclaimed Carol, shutting her car door and walking towards the restaurant entrance. "I will never get over the sight of Lori Loud dressed as a Hooter girl!"

Lori balled her hand into a fist as she let the back door shut behind her. She made her way into the employee restroom to change into her uniform, a practice she adopted when she kept getting questions about why she decided to wear orange shorts all of a sudden from her family. Almost everyone accepted her answer of spotting a great deal at the mall while searching for a job. Everyone except Luan.

"I don't know, sis," Luan had said the night Lori came back from her first day of training. "ORANGE you worried your new shorts would make guys eyes PEELED towards you!"

Lori ignored her comedian of a sister's joke and swatted the air towards her roaring laughter. "Whatever, Luan. I just needed a break from the job hunt, so I treated myself, okay?"

"With what money?" Luan pressed. "I thought you had just gotten a job that's quite a HOOT!"

Lori paused midway up the stairs and pivoted towards the living room, casting her younger sister a puzzled look. "Why'd you say that?"

Luan hopped off the couch and met her older sister at the stairs, resting an elbow on the railing and shooting Lori a smirk. "I mean, it's not like I've never seen those kind of shorts before. I've seen the commercials that come on during late night TV while I'm watching the late show. Or who knows, maybe a little OWL told me."

Lori narrowed her gaze and made her way up the rest of the stairs. "You're delusional, Luan. Besides, Mom forbade me from getting a job there. Why would I disobey her?" She put a hand on the doorknob of her bedroom door, but froze in place when she felt the warm breath of Luan tickling her left ear.

"Maybe the idea of showing off all of your goods has you…TIT-illated…"

In the present, Lori emerged from the employee restroom dressed and ready to go. The thought of her little sister's words sent a chill down her spine, and the freezing air conditioned ambiance didn't help. She made her way to the dining area and spotted Carol waiting by the cash register.

"About time you showed up, Lori," she said with a smirk.

Lori planted her feet directly beside her trainer's and placed a hand on her hip. "Can we just get this stupid training started. I, like, literally have money to make tonight."

Carol laughed. "Easy there, little cub. You have a lot to learn before you can just 'make money'."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "What is there to it? I literally aced the classes. I know what to do, so why don't I just, you know, do it?"

Carol was about to rebut her trainee's forwardness, but retracted as soon as she got an idea. "You know what, little cub? I think your right. Maybe I have underestimated you. Follow me, and I'll show you to your first table."

Lori followed the girlish gait of her trainer as she grumbled a few curses under her breath. They paused in front of a table where two men who looked to be in their 30s lowered their menus and flashed the two teens big smiles.

"Okay, little cub," said Carol with a whip of her long blonde hair. "Do you stuff."

Lori cleared her throat and gave the two men a smile. "Good evening, gentlemen. Can I get you two something to drink?"

One of the men cleared his throat and looked back into his menu. "Uh, I'll just have a beer. Lite, please."

Lori wrote the order in her notepad and turned her attention to the other man. "And for you, sir?"

The other man, dressed in casual clothing and sunglasses, slapped down his menu and placed a hand under his chin. "A glass full of the sweat from your ass cheeks, ma'am."

The look of disgust on Lori's face caused the two men to erupt with laughter. Behind her, Carol muffled her giggles with both hands. She could feel her face turning bright red as she stood motionless, unable to write.

The experienced Hooter girl shoved Lori to the side and joined gazes with the forward man. "I apologize for my…little cub. She's new. How about I make it up to you with a large glass of draught beer, and maybe an order of hot wings."

Lori's mouth finally moved, but in a jaw dropping fashion as she witnessed her archival place a leg on the man's lap, lightly rubbing her crotch against his side. The man, clearly flustered, couldn't help but stutter an approval.

Carol leapt off the customer and gave them a wink. "Okay boys, I'll be back with your drinks and wings. Don't go anywhere."

Carol let out a girly giggle as she made her way to the kitchen. Lori followed her, her heart pounding as if she were running a marathon. As soon as they reached the kitchen, Carol turned around to address her trainee, a slight frown shocking the new hire to the core.

"Listen, little cub. If you want to make money, you have to know how to play the game. And it's pretty damn obvious that you don't know the first thing about working this job. So I suggest that you shut your little whore mouth for the rest of the night and watch a professional do it. Understand?"

Lori could feel the tears forming in her eyes, and the slow forming smile from the girl across her meant that she knew it as well.

"Don't worry, my little sunshine," said Carol in a mocking manner, raising her hand to gently caress Lori's face. "Momma tiger won't let anything bad happen to poor widdle Lowee, okay?" She left the kitchen laughing heartily, leaving a lightly sobbing Lori in her wake.

"Oh god," Lori whispered. "What have I gotten myself into?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"What the fuck am I gonna do, Bobby?" said Lori.

Bobby pulled up to the Loud house and switched the car into parking, turning the key just slightly to turn the engine off, but leave the radio on. He stretched out his arms as far as they could go and took a detailed look at his tired girlfriend. He was happy to finally hear her say something, but her disheveled appearance dampened the little peace it brought.

Mascara stains ran down the cheeks of the overwhelmed Hooter girl, her body reeking of buffalo sauce and cheap beer. Lori couldn't help but replay in her mind the several little accidents that built up to create what became the mess that sat in the passenger side of the small sedan. She decided to save her lover from the details, but expressed her frustration with no reservation.

"I, like, literally have gone way over my head with this job! Why did I even think that I could pull something like this off. Moonlighting as a god damn Hooter girl? What will I tell my family when their oldest daughter comes home smelling like a cheap rate motorcycle flick!?"

Bobby handed Lori a napkin from who knows what fast food run he took and sighed. "Babe, I hate to be the one to ask but…why'd you take this job in the first place?"

Lori blew her nose and shifted her eyes to her boyfriend, begging him to proceed.

Bobby hesitated. "I mean, no offense babe. You're great and all but, I'm not sure I like seeing you like this. Battling over moral choices like this just so you can play a phone bill? There's gotta be a better job out there for you."

Lori balled up the napkin and stuffed into her shorts and sighed. "Bobby, you are literally one hundred percent right."

The young Latino man smiled.

"But…"

His smile evaporated like an ice cream cone on a hot day.

Lori sighed again and cleared her throat. "This might sound stupid to you. Maybe even a little petty. I need to do this job because it's the only way I can prove to you, and to my family, especially my fucking parents, that I can take care of myself. Literally no other job will do."

Bobby scratched his head. "I don't follow."

Lori rolled her eyes and brought a hand to her forehead. "Bobby.."

"Why not just do some other job?"

Lori looked up from her hand and stared out into the empty street, calculating her next move in this conversation.

"Don't get me wrong babe, I'm proud of you that you got a job where you can flaunt your stuff and still respect yourself, but if it's going to be such a hassle dealing with your family, why not just find a job where they'll leave you alone?"

Lori gripped the handle of the car door and tapped against the plastic cover in a rhythmic fashion, licking her lips and tightening her jaw muscles. She closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Carol Pingrey…"

Bobby raised an eyebrow. "From school?"

Lori opened her eyes alway and pounded the car door. "Yes, that Carol Pingrey. As in 'Momma Tiger' Carol Pingrey. I will not sleep at night if I give her the chance to talk me down like she has the past couple of nights." She raised her arms in the air and looked to the sky. "Maybe I'm being petty. Maybe I'm taking this whole rivalry thing way too far. I probably should just forget about her and go on with my life and do what you said. Who gives a shit what that bitch thinks, right!? My family is much more important than some unimportant beef between two high school girls."

Bobby lifted a hand to place on his girlfriend's shoulder, but slowly retracted as he noticed the fury that took her over, shoulders raising and lowering in time with her focused breathing. This did not go unnoticed by Lori, whose demeanor slowly softened into a remorseful pity, giving way to another barrage of tears. Regaining a renewed sense of conviction, Bobby confidently brought his girlfriend into an almost bear like hug, not caring about the growing wet spot on his shoulder.

"Mi amor…mi vida," he whispered softly into her ear. He lifted Lori's weighted head from his shoulder and brought her lips onto his. The passion he bought into her charged her to her core, a shock of electricity penetrating every inch of her body. She let go of her world for a second and melted into the warmth of her lover's kiss. After for what seemed like an entire summer, they broke away from heaven's doorstep and studied each other's dilating eyes.

 _They're so brown. And beautiful._ she thought.

"Babe," he began, breaking her admiration. "I can't tell you what to do with your life. You have your reasons for what you do. That's one big reason why I love you so much. I trust that you know what you're doing. I just can't bear to see you in so much pain. If I could turn back time and fix things for you, I would."

Lori inhaled and exhaled, stuttering.

"I would."

Lori joined hands with the boy across from her, studying the roughness of his fingertips, years of hard work and toil imprinted in such a short time. She looked up at her boyfriend, whose gaze displayed a mesh of concern and pride. He was proud to be hers, and she was proud to be his.

"I know you would," she said, finally breaking the silence. "You do so much for so many people already. It's the biggest reason why I love you so much. I don't deserve so much…"

She stifled a sob.

"I need to prove…to myself that I…"

"You are, babe. You already are."

Lori opened the passenger side door and stepped out into the night, leaving an outstretched arm with her name all over it. She walked up to the door and opened it with her key, pausing a moment to look back. The car had already revved up and began making its way down the street, disappearing around the corner.

"I wish I knew that I was, Bobby Boo Boo Bear," she whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next day, the first true day of her Hooter's career, Lori decided to take the city bus. She shot Bobby a text, assuring him that her decision had nothing to do with they're conversation the previous night, but as she hit send, she knew she attached an intangible fib as well. Bobby was one thing, but her family needed a little extra helping of fabrication. She had to convince her parents that the family van could continue it's Sunday afternoon rest in favor of taking public transportation.

"I just wanted to get used to taking the city bus, Mom and Dad," she had said. It was the best she could come up with on such short notice, and while it puzzled them they didn't refuse their daughter the experience. With bus fare in hand, she walked the two miles to the bus stop, and waited for her filthy chariot to carry her to her destination.

"New updates available," Said her cellphone through her earbuds, interrupting the track she was humming to. She impatiently tapped the screen to delay the updates for a later time, hoping the new updates she was receiving would come to an end.

"Jesus Christ," she muttered under her breath.

After a brief ten minute ride, Lori let herself off the elongated vehicle and walked the short half mile to the back of the restaurant. The place seemed like a ghost town at that time of day. She emerged from the double doors and took in the emptiness like a breeze of ocean air.

"This is kind of nice," she said to herself. "Few people, fewer staff, no Carol, Leni at the front…"

She did a double take. Standing in front of the cash register was her younger sister, arms hanging like a raptor with the smile of a newborn puppy. Before she could properly react, the dimwitted blonde spotted her older sister and waved wildly.

"OMG! Lori!? You work here at the owl store?"

All eyes were on the shocked Hooter girl, and while they were fewer than normal, their powers rendered her incapable of remaining still. Lori grabbed her sister and dragged her into the dark women's restroom, locking the door and flipping the light switch.

"Ooh, are you giving me a tour? Is this where the owls go tinkle?"

Lori slapped the side of her head. "Leni, what the heck are you doing here?"

Leni smiled. "Well, I just thought that since you were going to look for a job today and miss family day, I thought I would join you. You know, so you wouldn't feel left out."

Lori placed a hand over her heart. "Aw." She shook out of it. "But, how'd you know to come here?"

"Well, I didn't. Because, you see, I just didn't come to keep you company. I also came to, like, get a job!" She raised her arms and grinned.

Lori looked confused. "But why? And why at the owl st-, I mean, Hooter's of all places?"

Leni looked to the ground and shuffled her feet. "Well, everyone knows that I'm not the smartest girl in the world, and I do stupid stuff sometimes. I just thought that maybe if I could get a job like you, I could be just as helpful as you."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm helpful?"

Leni looked up at her older sister and grinned. "Like, totes! I think it's awesome how you got a job here at the owl store, go to school, and have a boyfriend. I mean, how many people can do that? I know I sure can't, but if I at least had a job, maybe I could be…a little cool."

Lori wrapped her sister in a tight hug and sighed. "Oh Leni, you're already cool. And very helpful. Who else can whip up a dress like you or, you know, keep the sinks throughout the house clean?"

Leni broke the hug and frowned. "So? That isn't much."

"But it is! You might not feel like you do a lot, but to the family, and especially to me, you make a world of a difference. Just by being you're happy little self, you give me so much joy."

Lori held her sister's hand in hers and smiled. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have you as a little sister. And nothing will ever change that."

Leni couldn't help but allow a few tears to roll down her cheek as she was the one who cut her sister's circulation with a tight hug. Lori basked in the warmth of her sister's love, a smile growing on her face as she understood what Bobby had meant the night before. Leni finally loosened up, wiping her eyes with her hands.

"So," Leni began. "How long have you been working here at the owl store?"

Lori's face fell as she remembered that now a sister from her family knew she worked at Hooter's, not counting the possibility of Luan. "Listen Leni," she began, holding her sister by the arms. "I need you to keep this our little secret, okay? I haven't told our parents that I work here yet and I need to keep it that way."

"But why?" Len asked, genuinely confused. "I think they'd be happy that you work here."

"But they wouldn't," Lori explained. "Here, let me show you."

Lori took Leni by the hand and took her back out into the dining area. A handful of Hooter girls, dressed in their skimpy outfits, carried trays of buffalo wings to their tables. the sounds of flirting and girlish giggling filled the air as a baseball game was being displayed at the bar. Lori turned to her sister, who stood there dazed and afraid.

"See what I mean?" asked Lori.

Leni faced her sister with a hand over her mouth. "I can't believe it…"

Lori sighed. "You think I'm a skimpy little whore too, right?"

"They…they serve the customers…owl wings!?"

Lori jerked her head and furrowed her brow. "What? No, Leni, those are buffalo wings."

Leni faced her sister with her hands firmly planted on her hips, a scowl sending chills down Lori's spine. "Lori, I may be dumb, but even I know buffalo don't have wings. Look, I know you're not the one killing and feeding people owl wings, so I'm not mad at you. But…" Leni looked to be on the verge of tears and proceeded to walk out. "I couldn't dream of working in a place like this anymore."

Before Lori could get a word in, Leni was gone. She sighed and turned to begin working when a thought halted her steps.

"How'd she even get here? She can't drive."

Just then, her phone vibrated. She opened her text messages and noticed three new texts from Bobby, indicating that he didn't know she would be taking the bus and that it was he who dropped off Leni. She quickly flipped through her texts to see what had happened to the one she sent telling him she would take the bus.

Unable to send.

"Fuck, the updates," she whispered to herself. "Did he tell my family I work here?"

"Lori! Off the phone and get to waiting!" cried Fran.

She reluctantly put her phone away and began her shift, hoping Bobby hadn't said a word to her family.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"I've arrived, everyone!" announced a seductively posing Carol.

Lori turned her head towards the entrance, catching herself before she overfilled a customer's glass with water. She set the pitcher over by the waitress' station then marched over to her trainer, teeth grinding and eyes twitching.

"What are you doing here?" Lori asked through her teeth.

Carol snapped her vanity mirror shut and flashed her perturbed trainee a wink. "I'm filling in for someone who called in sick. Besides, I thought you'd might need some more pointers. I am employee of the month after all."

Lori followed Carol's pointed finger directly to a plaque above the cash register. Sure enough, Carol's photogenic smile beamed above the words "Employee of the Month" written in sparkling gold.

Lori crossed her arms. "Listen Carol, I don't care if you're employee of the year. My training with you is over. So why don't you be a good sport and let me do my thing okay?"

Carol's smile faded into a shock smirk, but it didn't last as her smile returned in an even more devilish form. "Aw, they do grow up so fast, don't they. Just don't forget, I'm still Mama Tiger around here, and you're the little cub."

Lori slapped away Carol's hand from her face as she shook in fury, a laughing Carol making her way to her first table. All around her Hooter girls looked at the departing Carol with awe, as if she'd done something out of character.

Then it hit her.

"Carol…"

The employee of the month froze in her tracks, the gentle hand on her shoulder sending chills down to her ankles. She turned around to find Lori, possessed by a diabolical reality.

"You're afraid of me, aren't you, Carol?"

Carol let out a laugh, managing to eke out a few tears which she wiped almost comically off her face. "And why in the hell would I be afraid of little miss prude?"

Lori pulled her in close, eyes meeting eyes, breath touching breath. "Watch me," she whispered.

Carol gripped the sides of the stool she was thrusted upon as she watched Lori attend to guests that were supposed to be hers. Every wink, every giggle, every touch seared her heart like a blazing bullet. Regaining her composure through measured breathing, she waited for Lori to disappear to the kitchen to make a move of her own on Lori's customers.

"Damn nena!" shouted a cook from the heat of the kitchen. "You workin' that ass tonight?"

"You fucking know it!" cheered Lori, flaunting her rear and giving it a smack. The number of orders she produced from Carol's customers proved to be an impressive haul, even by Carol standards. Lori left the kitchen leaving a barrage of whistles and cat calls in her wake. She pushed through the double like a queen arriving at a banquet, smile as bright as the lighting in the dining area. It wasn't long before her smile faded and contorted into distaste.

One male customer, sitting in Lori's section, was having the time of his life, a hot blonde of barely legal age sticking her tongue down his throat. The shock on every face, staff and clientele alike, was enough to power an entire city. All eyes turned to Lori, whose calm smile caused several gulps of saliva.

"Bravo!" Lori shouted, clapping and making her way to Carol.

Carol tore away from the man and pushed off of him, nearly knocking him down. Her heavy breathing accompanied by saucer wide eyes elicited chuckles from her approaching enemy. She pursed her moist lips, the taste of beer and wings still fresh in her mouth as Lori stopped mere centimeters from her face.

"You are pathetic," Lori whispered.

Carol gnawed the inside of her cheek and puckered her lips. "You're one to talk, Miss Virgin."

Gasps escaped every single mouth, including Lori's, a gasp mixed with disbelief and pity. "And since when does being a slut make you better than me?"

Carol grinned. "I mean, one of us had to satisfy Bobby, don't you agree? The poor guy really deserves a nice pussy to dive into."

Lori laughed. "You're really grasping at straws here, Carol. Why don't you just give in while you're behind?"

This time it was Carol who advanced towards Lori, so much so that she caused her to walk backwards. "You really don't think I'd do it? You know, we do look so much alike. Remember when your little brother wanted me to take your place for your little family portrait?"

Lori's smile slowly began to fade. "You wouldn't dare."

Carol back Lori against a waitress station and leaned forward. "I'm Mama Tiger, little cub. Everything is prey to me. If you won't spread them for him, then I'm only a new hairdo away from destroying your life."

Lori shut her eyes and inhaled deep. She thought of Bobby, the absolute love of her life.

She exhaled and opened her eyes. "Try me."

Carol grinned, but it was short lived as a splash of ice cold water from a pitcher doused her face and trickled down her shirt, revealing the details of her bra. Carol yelped in pain from the freezing shock to her body, but everyone remained still, more stunned than anything.

Lori's breathing was loud and grating, predatory like. Reacting on instinct, she grabbed the blonde locks of the crying Carol and yanked her head to meet her ferocious gaze. "You lay one finger on my boyfriend, and this prude will make sure you never fuck another poor, desperate sack of shit again, got it?"

Carol, face tainted with tears and running mascara, let out a battle cry and pushed Lori to the ground, dousing her with ice cold water from another pitcher.

"Wet T-Shirt contest!" shouted a customer.

Both blondes jerked their heads, realizing their impromptu performance whipped the restaurant into a spontaneous cheer. A slammed door in the direction of the manager's office caused them to get to their feet, dripping water all over the laminate flooring.

Fran stopped a few feet away from the scene, a scowl magnifying the chills each Hooter girl felt. "Girls, in my office. Now," she said calmly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"sry babe cant pick u up I'm at wrk."

Lori closed the messages tab on her phone, only to reopen it for a tenth time, hoping Bobby had suddenly found time to drive his flabbergasted girlfriend home. As the bus rolled up, a light drizzle began to moisten the already damp hair of the Hooter Girl. The gray clouds seemed to loom right over her as she made her way into the vacant bus.

"Afternoon, missy," greeted the friendly bus driver.

Lori dropped the exact fare and mustered an unenthused "Hey". She took her seat at the furthest end away from the front door and stared out the window, her vision of the blurry walls speeding by partially blocked by a collection of rain water forming a star. She let out a sigh as she replayed the tranquil yet profound conversation that sent her home not too long ago.

"Carol, I'm sending you home for the day and writing you up," Fran had said.

Carol's eyes poked out over the towel she was drying her face with and gave a nod.

Fran turned to Lori. "As for you, Lori…"

Lori stood still like an abandoned statue, awaiting her judgment. Her hair still dripping pitcher water to the floor, awaiting a towel to be fetched by a by standing Hooter girl.

Fran sighed. "Lori, I have every right to fire you. Send you on your sorry little ass out onto the street. But, god dammit, you're one of the brightest Hooter Girls I've had in awhile."

Lori eked out a one sided smile, and though she couldn't see it, she felt the damp towel being crushed between Carol's teeth.

"That's why I'm also sending you home for the day, writing you up, and sending you into an extra training day with one of our other experienced Hooter Girls."

Lori blinked. "But that means I'll miss out on those tips."

Fran looked up from her report. "And?"

"It's not fair."

Fran stood up from her chair and pointed the pen in Lori's direction. "You know what isn't fair? Having my restaurant mere seconds away from erupting into chaos because of two high school brats fighting over some slack jawed dipshit in need of giving a good dicking. I know Carol, she's the best damned Hooter Girl I have. I know nothing about you, so you better start shaping up or your ass will be out looking for another job. You got that, princess?"

In the present, Lori shut her eyes and allowed the exhaustion to take her from her reality. The bumps to the side of her face only served to lull her into a deeper slumber. Had it not been for the vibrations in her back pocket, she might've slept until the driver announced the last stop.

"babe they just let me out u still need a ride?"

Lori sighed and answered the text, rejecting the offer. She looked out the window and saw her stop whizz on by.

"Shit," she said, pulling the cord.

The driver eased to a stop and opened the back door from his control panel, allowing the punished worker to exit quietly. "Have a nice day, missy!"

Lori faced the rear view mirror across the bus and managed to smile. "You too, driver."

The walk home was cold, lonely, and uneventful, save for the commotion in her head trying to conjure a believable story for why she showed up early from her job hunt. As she approached her house, she let out a relieved sigh as the family van wasn't in it's parking spot.

"They must've gone out," she said to herself.

She walked up the damp steps, stuck in her key, and unlocked the front door. The silence was a welcoming sound to Lori's ears, and thoughts of relaxing in front of the TV with a cold drink at hand brought cheer to her weary soul.

A click of a mouse button changed all that.

"… this prude will make sure you never fuck another poor, desperate sack of shit again, got it?"

Lori turned towards the dining room, a laptop replaying a third person's view of the early afternoon's events in a video editor. A late model smartphone hit the ground as disbelief wracked Lori's entire body for the second time that day. A lone hand flipped the laptop shut, revealing a devilish grin bearing shiny metallic braces.

"Welcome home, Little Cub," Luan said.

Lori balled her hands into fists. "What's gonna keep you quiet?"

Luan laughed as she held up her video camera. "Aw, come on Lori. You're not even gonna ask how I snuck into Bobby's car when he took Leni to Hooter's to get this golden footage?"

Lori marched over to the younger Loud and knocked the camera out of her hands. "I don't care about how you got that footage, you TMZ wannabe. I wanna know what it's gonna cost me to keep your unfunny ass quiet!"

Luan scoffed. "Ouch, a little touchy aren't we? Well, you already know that I never use footage without permission, but since you offered, I'm gonna take that as implied consent."

"Get to it," Lori snarled, mentally kicking herself for her misstep.

Luan stood up, revealing her very own Hooter Girl outfit as she struck a pose. "I wanna show."

Lori picked her jaw up from the floor and shook her head. "You want a what?"

Luan jumped on the table and clasped her hands against her face. "I've always wanted to do a stand up routine just like the ones on late night TV! And now that I've got connections to a mature audience, I can! You just need to, you know, convince your managers and whatnot."

Lori frowned. "Luan, I just got in sent home today. How in the hell am I supposed to get a minor in to do an adult themed comedy routine?"

Luan shrugged her shoulders and hopped off the table. "That's you're problem, little cub. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to work on my act for tomorrow night. Only the BREAST jokes will do!"

Lori fell into a chair and groaned into her hands as the sounds of laughter travelled up the stairs and disappeared behind the slammed door of Luna and Luan's bedroom.

"Kill me now," Lori sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"She's got ten minutes," grumbled Fran, fumbling through some documents.

Lori stood shocked in the cold, air conditioned room, mentally rewinding the last sentence and repeating it just to be sure she heard it right.

"What? You saw a ghost or something, Lori?"

Lori stammered. "No, I just wasn't expecting you to accept so readily."

Fran sighed and looked up. "Look Lori, I'm doing this for your little sister, alright? I was once a young girl with a dream. Besides, I happen to be a huge fan of late night TV myself, whenever I get around to watching it that is. You just make sure she's good and ready. I'll have a sound crew get a mike ready."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "We have a sound crew?"

"Get to work, Lori," Fran demanded, refocusing on her papers.

Lori obeyed, sneaking out of the office and making her way towards a booth where Luan sat, nervously tugging at a polka dotted bow tie.

"Well," Lori began. "I have some good news. Fran said you could…"

"What?" asked Luan, wiping her palms on her blue and white striped zoot suit.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

Luan sighed and gripped the brim of her derby hat. "Look, I got pretty nervous because I've never performed for anyone above the age of thirteen. But when I'm in costume, I feel like a whole different person, you know?"

Lori muffled a chuckle with the back of her hand. "I guess, but you look more tense than the series finale of a crime drama."

"I know, and I'm suspect number one," Luan muttered.

Overcome with sisterly compassion, Lori sat next to her trembling little sister and gave her a side hug. "Luan, you once took on a crowd full of emo tweens. Surely you can handle a bunch of horny older men."

Luan looked up at her older sister and raised an eyebrow.

Lori sighed. "Yeah, that could've come out better. The point is, you'll be great! Besides, these people are probably too drunk to care! They'll laugh at anything!"

"Not helping," Luan said, resting an elbow on the table.

Towards the back of the restaurant, a man dressed in all black wheeled out a large speaker and set it down next to the jukebox. Another man carried out and hooked a microphone to the speaker, adjusting the height so that it accommodated a fourteen year old comedian, according to his calculations. Once he left, Lori stood up and dusted off her shorts.

"That's my cue to introduce you," Lori said, cheeriness sweetening her words. She turned around to find Luan hyper focused on her breathing while scanning a sheet of paper filled with scribbles.

The comedian looked up after a hand landed gently on her shoulder.

"You're gonna be great," said a smiling Lori.

Luan smiled weakly and exhaled. "Okay. Let's do this."

Minutes later, Luan sweltered underneath the ceiling lights, nervously chuckling into the microphone as she surveyed the disinterested audience. "So, what did the sax player say when he shot his load? Oh no, there're JAZZ STAINS on my bed!"

Normal restaurant ambience masked whatever reaction Luan could pick up. At the bar area, most of the patrons mingled among themselves while others willed the televisions back on with their furious gaze. A small handful of guests watched as the teenage comedian struggled through another delivery, palms pressing against their cheeks in absolute boredom.

"So, my mom took me clothes shopping the other day, and took me through the women's section. She looked at the prices and said, 'Oh BRAther, this is gonna put a TAMPON my savings!'"

"Somebody, for the love of god, stick a TAMPON in her mouth!" yelled a feminine voice.

Luan looked up from the ground, the customers also looking in the direction of the voice, eliciting a few chuckles.

Carol stepped out of the shadowy part of the restaurant and snatched the microphone away from the shaking performer. "Folks, give it up for our budding comedian! Did you know she's only fourteen!? And from the looks of it, she's more underdeveloped than a third world country!"

Gasps and hand clasps filled the room, leaving Luan to slump her shoulders in defeat. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, a sob escaping her lips. A perfectly manicured hand landed on her shoulder, sending the comedian into a bout of internal rage.

"But don't worry about that, Luan. You definitely have a future here at Hooter's!" Carol lifted Luan's head and flashed her a devilish grin. "As a cutting board!"

Luan couldn't hide the emotions any longer as visible tear tracks made their way down her face. Laughter filled her ears and bounced around in her head. The feeling in her legs gave out as she stumbled to the ground, landing in a begging position on her knees right in front of Carol.

"Whoa there, Lulu! I don't roll that way! Although, this would be good practice for you if you wanna make it big without any talent!"

Damn's and Oh's filled the air behind the towering Carol as her victim had crawled into a fetal position. Just as she was about to turn around and thank her audience, a fist walloped her side where her kidneys were, knocking the wind right out of her. She joined the shamed comedian on the ground, hugging her stomach and gasping for air.

Lori, hunched over like a ravenous wolf, straightened herself out and whisked a lock of blonde hair off her face. She got on all fours, rolled Carol on her back, and smacked her across the face with the back of her hand.

"You say one more joke, and I will literally rip every hair off your disgusting head until people think you're dying of cancer."

Lori lifted Carol's head by her hair and brought their eyes within mere centimeters from each other, a door slamming open behind them.

"Which is funny," continued Lori, footsteps approaching the scene amidst the collection of gasps and nervous chuckles from the dining area. "Because you are literally cancer. Get it?"

"Lori Loud," Fran whispered.

Lori dropped Carol to the ground and hung her head. She stood to her feet and walked to Luan, bringing her to her feet and wrapping an arm from the limp comedian around her shoulders. She faced her boss, a few pink documents smashed in between her fingers. She let out a sigh and turned to Luan.

"Come on, Luan," she whispered. "Show's over."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Bobby turned on the ignition and slowly backed out of the parking space, placing a hand behind the passenger's head rest to get a good view through the rear window. His eyes met those of his girlfriend, whose arm cuddled a lightly weeping teen comedy hopeful. He gave her a faint smile and switched the gear into drive, pulling out of the parking lot and into the lonely streets.

"How about some music?" asked Bobby.

Lori looked down at her sister, her head nestled on her lap. "You wanna listen to something in particular, Luan?"

Luan shook her head.

Lori sighed. "Put on whatever you want, babe. Just keep the volume down a bit."

Bobby nodded and turned the radio to a top 40 station, setting the volume to near inaudible levels.

Lori looked out the window and watched the street lights slowly tower over the car one by one before disappearing from her sight. The adrenaline from the night's earlier events had long since passed, draining her of every energy her body could give her. She looked down again upon her little sister, frowning as she saw her turn her head upwards, revealing red, puffy eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lori," Luan managed.

"For what?"

Luan began to weep, short sobs punctuated by soft gasps.

Lori brought the younger Loud into a near cradle, burying Luan's face into her chest above her breast. With every sob that pounded into her collarbone, she felt their power tenfold in her heart. She was about to say something when Luan finally broke free.

"I thought I could do it. You know, do a show like they do on TV. It looked like so much fun. But all I did was get you fired."

Lori opened her mouth, but was silenced by Luan's remorseful gaze.

"Is it really that hard out there?"

Lori mulled over the question for a second, scratching her cheek with an index finger. "Luan, I don't really think I can answer that for you."

Luan sighed and hugged her legs close to her chest. She focused on the way her pants wrinkled just the apex of her knees, like the waves of an ocean. Minutes passed before the silence was broken by the passenger directly to her right.

"Adulthood is just so fucking stupid."

Luan turned to her older sister and waited for her to continue.

Lori chuckled. "I'm not a very smart person, Luan. I don't even know how I became such a 'great Hooter girl'. I just thought that I could do it. It looked easy enough, even a little fun. But the thing is, so much is expected of you. Have the order jotted down perfectly. Smile. Be personally attentive to every single customer, even though you have like five tables. Smile more. Wear push up bras so your boobs cause alcohol sales to go up. Oh yeah, and fucking smile!"

Lori glanced at Luan whose wide, pleading eyes touched her soul.

"The point is, Luan. Sometimes, you just gotta try some things and see if it's really what you want. It might work, or it might bomb. But you have to go for it. I think that's what they call trial and error."

"I feel like such a huge error right now," Luan sighed.

Lori laughed softly and bear hugged her little sister. "Maybe, but that's okay. Maybe adult themed comedy isn't for you. Or maybe it is, and you have to try again. Who knows. I sure as hell don't. I'm just trying to make money so I can pay my god damn bills."

Lori held Luan's face up to hers and smiled. "But you. You have an amazing gift to make people smile and laugh and forget about how shitty this world can be. You don't have to have things figured out yet. Be you. The world needs it. Your family needs it."

Luan glanced down and back up, her weak smile meeting with Lori's wide grin and watery eyes.

"I need it, Luan."

Bobby's car eased to a stop in front of the Loud residence, a light drizzle pelting the car. He turned the ignition off and looked up at his rear view mirror. He smiled at the sight of two Loud sisters warming each other with their embrace, like something out of a festive family film.

Bobby opened the real car door for his two passengers, shielding them from the rain with his sweater jacket. They walked across the dampening walkway and up the front porch steps, pausing right in front of the door.

"Thank you, Boo Boo Bear," said Lori, kissing her man on the cheek.

"Don't mention it," he replied, hugging his girl with one arm while ruffling the already messy hair of the younger Loud sister with his free hand. "You too, Luan."

Lori and Luan smiled as they watched the sedan pull out into the street and vanish into a corner.

"You think I'll ever get a guy like him?" asked Luan.

Lori laughed and fished out her house key from her purse. "Not in a million years."

She stuck her key inside the keyhole and turned. Before she could put her hand on the door knob, the door flung open, whisking her keys out of her hand.

"Lori Loud!"

Lori shielded her eyes from the bight lights inside her home. Once she adjusted, in front of her were both parents, looking directly at her with shocked expressions. She was about to ask what the matter was when it hit her.

Her uniform.

She forgot to change out of it.

And Luan was with her.

"Mom, Dad, I can…"

"Kids," boomed Lynn Sr., causing the crowd of Loud siblings behind him to recoil in fear. "To your rooms. Mom and I have things to discuss with Lori."

The Loud siblings, sans Lori, all walked up the steps towards their rooms, pausing right at the top of the stairs, hoping to get a good view at what was about to ensue.

"Kids, I said to the rooms, now!"

The Loud clan didn't need another command as they scurried to their rooms, slamming their doors shut in fear of doubt settling in their father's mind. One Loud sister remained unmoved, and when she was sure the three remaining Louds left the living room to have their talk, she tip toed at a safe distance behind them.

"Please be okay," prayed Luan from her bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"No, thank you," replied Lori

Rita placed the coffee pot back in its dock and took her seat across from her eldest daughter, right next to a befuddled Lynn Sr. Lori stared into the empty mug, fixated on a single water stain that had failed to dry up in their dishwashing machine. As mundane thoughts about the quality of their kitchen appliances swirled in her head, a clearing of a throat just washed with hot coffee aroused her out of it.

"How long have you been working there?" asked Lynn Sr.

Lori opened her mouth, voice cracks preceding her reply. "I had just started."

A few moments of silence, save for a lone car passing through the neighborhood, tires crackling over the aging asphalt.

"And you were going to tell us when?" her mother chimed in, tone bordering on disappointment.

Lori sighed as she fidgeted the empty mug in her hand. "I wasn't. I was going to keep it secret until I could find another job. At least, that's how it started."

Lori's parents cocked their heads. "Started?" they prodded in unison.

Lori put the mug down on the table and slouched in her chair. "You guys wouldn't understand."

"Try us," Rita said, a touch of frustration in her voice.

Lori shifted her eyes, glancing at the floor and noting the crumbs that littered it. She took a deep breath and exhaled, blowing raspberries with her lips. She stood up and raised her hands up to her chest, drawing their attention to the Hooter's logo. She looked right into her mother's eyes, a quick shock of fear passing through her body before a cold feeling that permeated throughout her being like a fog.

"What do you see here, Mom?"

Rita took a sip of coffee and cleared her throat. "I see the Hooter's logo, Lori. Where are you going with this?"

Lori sighed then raised her arms, going up and down over her entire body. "And what do you see here?"

No answer.

"It's me. Lori. Your daughter."

Rita sighed and rubbed her temples. "Lori, now's not the time to be cryptic…"

Lori smashed the table with her fists, her parents jumping in their seats. "Then pay attention, Mom! Put it all together. I'm still Lori, your oldest daughter who cares about her family and wants to be responsible. I just happened to get a job as a Hooter Girl. It doesn't mean I've become some filthy slut who'll please men for cash!"

"I never said you were!" answered Rita, standing up to her daughter.

"Then why am I getting the good cop/bad cop treatment from you and Dad!?"

"You still disobeyed, Lori!" Rita crossed her arms and glared at her eldest child, sending shake spells to Lori's knees.

Lori took her seat and clasped her hands together into her lap, eyes affixed to the floor.

"I know you're not a brain dead bimbo who'll do anything for money, Lori. It just puzzles me why you would work in a place where that very model of life is encouraged. What, were you trying to change things up around there? Did you think you could be successful by just being polite? You can't do that, Lori, no one can! Those places make their money because that's how they work, which is why I'm upset that a daughter of mine who was raised with dignity chose to become employed by the likes of Hooter's!"

"You really think I'm that naive, Mom?" Lori answered, her voice shaking.

This time it was Rita taking her seat, awaiting the rebuttal from her daughter.

"Mom, there are good people who wear this uniform every day. People who just need to make a living so they can pay bills and feed their families. I doubt the first thing they thought of when applying for a job there was 'Gee, I really wanna suck some guy off so I can buy girly shit at the mall!'"

"That's not what I meant," Rita replied, running a hand over her tired face.

"I knew that when I landed the job at Hooter's, I'd get some backlash from you, Mom. I was afraid you would judge me. I even considered quitting. But you're right. I felt like I could do the job without having to become what you feared the most. What made you think I would become any less of a person you raised me to be? You how much it hurts to know your own parents have that little confidence in you?"

"The world is a scary place," replied Rita, rubbing the handle of her coffee mug with her thumb. "And you're so young. I don't want you to fall in the wrong crowd."

"But how will I know if I don't try?"

"What are you trying to prove?" asked Lori's Dad, finally getting a word in. "Why go through the trouble of proving something to no one in particular?"

Lori gasped, unable to answer.

Lori's Dad sighed. "I get what you're going for, Lori. You're a smart young woman with a point to prove. But at what cost? Do you really have to get a job at Hooter's to show that you can do it without becoming unwholesome? Who does that? And who even cares?"

"I do," came a small voice from across the kitchen.

All eyes watched as Leni made her into the kitchen over to her sister's side. She took Lori's hand and held it tightly, smiling down at her.

"Me too."

Luan walked to Lori's other side and put her hand on her shoulder.

Rita and Lynn Sr. looked at each other with the same puzzled expression. Lori looked up at each one of her younger sister's faces, a warm smile used as a sign of gratitude for their support. Of the younger sisters standing by the eldest, Luan appeared to be the least confident, her hand trembling while resting on Lori's shoulder.

"Girls," began Rita. "Up to your rooms. Your father and I have some things to discuss. We'll deal with each of you tomorrow morning."

The three Loud sisters left the kitchen and made their way up the stairs to their rooms, holding hands the entire way. Before they broke apart to enter their respective rooms, Lori kissed each of them on the forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered. "What you two did meant the world to me."

Luan let out a single heartfelt chuckle and bear hugged her oldest sister. "And you mean the Milky Way to me."

Leni wrapped her arms around the two hugging sisters as far as they could go. "And you mean the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup to me."


	12. Final Chapter

**Final Chapter**

Lori sat on the steps of her front porch eating a chocolate chip cookie, dusting off some crumbs from her khaki shorts. Len was sitting next to her, trembling from head to toe in her new work uniform. She let out a small gasp as a half bitten cookie was shoved right in her face.

"Leni! OMG, you literally have the best job in the world if you get to make these every day."

Leni let out a nervous chuckle as she pushed the pastry away from her face. "Thanks, but I'd rather not right now. I feel like I could throw up any minute now, I'm so scared."

Lori shrugged and tossed the rest of the cookie into her gaping mouth, savoring every sweet bite. "Your loss, Leni. And besides, you're gonna be great at your new job. You're so sweet, even this cookie pales in comparison to you!"

Leni shot her older sister a quick grin before watching in terror as her friend's car pulled up in the driveway.

Lori stood to her feet and gave her sister a pat on the back. "Welp, go get 'em, Tiger. Have a great first day."

Leni started walking towards the car, but stopped midway, frozen in place like a petrified tree. Unable to move another step, she felt a pair of gentle hands rub her stiff shoulders until she was able to relax them into a normal posture.

"They love you, Leni," Lori whispered in her ear. "They made the perfect choice hiring you over me."

Leni walked to the car and opened the passenger side door, a loud Top 40 song blasting anyone within a mile radius. She glanced at her older sister one last time and gave her a small wave. She stepped in, shut the door, and disappeared around the corner to her new place of employment.

Lori took in a deep breath of the early afternoon air, marveling at how blue the sky could be when the clouds were absent. She spotted where she left the lawn mower in the middle of the yard and sighed, dragging her feet back to its idling spot and yanking the cord, revving the motor back to life. She spent the next fifteen minutes cutting the yellowing grass in the front yard, careful to avoid the toys strewn about without a care and any rocks that somehow made their way over from the backyard.

"Ugh," Lori moaned. "I still have to cut the grass in the back."

"You're telling me," groaned Luan, emerging from the backyard through the side gate. "I just finished pulling every single weed we have back there, and that pile was HIGH!"

Lori rolled her eyes as her younger sister laughed at her own pun.

"Good, just in time for me to lug this beast over and cut the lawn." Lori pushed the machine across the grass to the side gate, wobbling it from side to side in order to make it through the rocks. As soon as she rolled the mower onto the grass, she cheered at the sight of Bobby in the middle of the yard, a large pitcher of lemonade sparkling in the sun.

"Hey babe, you thirsty?"

Lori skipped over to her boyfriend and pulled him into a big kiss. "Very thirsty. For you."

Luan bursted through the side gate and whistled. "Gosh you guys, you want me to plan out your WEEDing day!?"

Lori and Bobby couldn't help but chuckle at the pun, looking into each other's eyes as they sat underneath the shade of the tree.

"So," Bobby began. "What else do your parents have you doing today?"

Lori sighed and pulled out a list from her back pocket. "I've already washed the dishes from breakfast. I'm working on the lawns right now. Then I have to clean out the refrigerator, wash the van when Mom and Dad come home, and sweep both the attic and the basement."

"Harsh," said Bobby, during his girlfriend another glass of lemonade.

Lori gulped the entire glass in a matter of seconds and wiped her mouth with her arm. "Actually, I thought they would be even harsher, but I think I have my sisters to thank for that."

Luan walked through the side gate, heaving a large trash can on her back filled with weeds from the front yard. She dumped them into the tall, green wastebasket and wheeled it out to the front.

"Will you look for another job?"

"I can't."

Bobby raised an eyebrow, prodding his girlfriend to continue with a raised palm.

"My parents initially didn't say I couldn't. But when I got back from applying for a job with Leni at the bakery, they heard about why I got fired by a phone call from Fran. They forbade me from looking for a month. They said they wanted to give it time for word to die down before I go back out there. I mean, word does get around in our small town, you know?"

"Tell me about it," he said, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "It's all I hear about at school. I mean, the guys think it's cool that you beat the shit outta Carol, but…"

Lori's head drooped, sniffling as she buried her knees into her chest. "I'm sorry."

Bobby hugged his girlfriend tightly and kissed the top of her sweaty head. "Why do you have to apologize for being the sweetest and most noble girl on the planet, Lori?"

Bobby turned his lover face towards him with both hands and gave her a smile with the warmth of a late afternoon sunset.

"You have a gift. A gift that helps those who need it most. You don't have to be perfect, mi amor. Be you. The world needs it. You're family needs it."

Bobby planted a gentle kiss on a pair of quivering lips.

"I need you, Lori."

Tears filled Lori's eyes as a satisfied sigh escaped her lips. A violent vibration from her back pocket aroused her from her view of Bobby's kind eyes.

"No way! They let you keep it?"

Lori pulled out her and checked her messages. "Only until the end of the month. Then it's back to the old model for me." She thumbed through her texts and opened the newest one. She put a hand over her mouth, chuckling while tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Babe?"

Lori lowered her hand and let out a hearty laugh. She raised her phone so Bobby could see a picture message of Leni holding up a batch of cupcakes fresh from the oven, iced with red letters spelling out a message.

I luv u, Liro.

 **AN:** Thank you so much for reading this little fic of mine. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


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